Extending presidential term to five years weakens accountability – Vitus Azeem

Anti-corruption campaigner Vitus Azeem has criticised the government’s proposal to extend the presidential term from four years to five, arguing that the move could weaken democratic accountability by allowing underperforming leaders to remain in office longer.

Speaking to Citi News on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, Mr Azeem said the current four-year constitutional term provides governments with sufficient time to implement their policies and demonstrate results, while enabling voters to hold leaders accountable within a reasonable timeframe.

“If somebody has not been performing in the first two or three years, you cannot remove the person until the end of the four-year term. Adding another year for someone who is performing abysmally does not help the country,” he said.

Mr Azeem argued that poor performance should not be assessed solely on a government’s ability to fulfil campaign promises but should also include corruption, mismanagement and the misuse of public resources.

“When I talk about poor performance, I also mean doing things that should not be done for the benefit of the country, including looting public resources,” he said.

He maintained that the framers of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution deliberately settled on a four-year term for both the President and Members of Parliament because it strikes an appropriate balance between effective governance and democratic accountability.

According to him, any administration with sound policies and competent leadership can deliver meaningful results within the existing constitutional timeframe, making an extension unnecessary.

Mr Azeem further noted that the Constitution already provides a mechanism for continuity by allowing voters to renew the mandate of performing leaders through the ballot box.

“If a President performs well, the people can renew the mandate for another four years. Likewise, Members of Parliament have no constitutional term limits and can continue to be re-elected as long as they retain the confidence of their constituents,” he said.

He insisted that extending the tenure of elected officials from four to five years would neither improve governance nor strengthen accountability, maintaining that the current constitutional arrangement remains adequate.

CitiNewsRoom